Attachment device and method

ABSTRACT

An attachment combination includes an article, which may include a frame, for attachment having a body and a fabric-covered portion of at least one of a vehicle interior and a wall of a dwelling. A micro-hook material is configured for securing to fabric materials, which may be a low-pile fabric material, and is secured to the body for releasably coupling the article to the fabric of the fabric-covered portion.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/730,446, filed Dec. 8, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,966,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/023,050,filed Dec. 15, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,389, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/300,688, filed Jun.25, 2001, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to devices for attachment to fabricsurfaces of various structures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention andadvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which likereference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a visualstimulation attachment according to an embodiment of the presentinvention secured to the interior ceiling of a vehicle above a carsafety seat;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of a portion of the visual tostimulation attachment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the visual stimulation attachment of FIGS. 1and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a visualstimulation attachment according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a frame for framing objects constructedaccording to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a side-elevational view of the frame of FIG. 5, shownpartially cross-sectioned;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a sunshade constructed according to anembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a cubicle or carrel having a frame and aholding or container device attached according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be understood by referring to FIGS. 1-8 of thedrawings. Like numerals may be used for like and corresponding parts ofthe various drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a visual stimulation attachment 10 is shown in thecontext of a child safety seat 12 that is resting on a portion of avehicle passenger seat 14. Child safety seat 12 is shown secured to seat14 by safety belt 16. In this rear-facing position, an infant withinchild safety seat 12 is limited to looking at the vehicle's ceiling 18or the front 20 of seat 14. (Note: While one embodiment is envisionedfor use with an infant in a child seat as shown in FIG. 1, it may alsobe used to amuse children who are not in a car or child safety seat).

To entertain, educate, and amuse the infant while riding in child safetyseat 12 or child when seated on seat 14, the visual stimulationattachment 10 is provided and secured to an interior portion of ceiling18 above the infant or child. The visual stimulation attachment 10 mayinclude a background member 22 that is releasably attached by anattachment device 24 to the interior of ceiling 18. The backgroundmember 22 is made of any relatively soft or lightweight material thatremains safe in the event that it falls on the infant or child or if itis involved in an accident. As a few examples, member 22 could be madeof cloth, vinyl, open or closed cell foam, padded foam, craft foam,plastics, paper, paper mache, cardboard, STYROFOAM®, multicellularexpanded synthetic resinous material, soft wood, composite materials,etc.

The attachment device 24 can be any attachment means that allows for thebackground member 22 to be releasably secured to the interior portion ofceiling 18. The attachment device 24 may include a micro-hook materialor friction fastener material, e.g., a micro version of a VELCRO®fastener, that when pressed against a headliner material on ceiling 18engages it: forms a hook-and-loop connection. An example of a suitablematerial is the hook portion of material HTH 830 from VELCRO USA, Inc.,Manchester, N.H.; it is a made with a standard polypropylene resin.Other examples from VELCRO USA, Inc. are model HTH 811 and 833, which isa high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and HTH 706, 707, and 708. Themicro-version of the hook material readily engages the material used onthe low-pile fabric material of most headliners. An example ofmicro-hook material for engaging low-profile or low-pile fabric or loopmaterial is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,315,740 and RE38,652, whichare herein incorporated by reference. Such materials may be used withlow-pile fabric materials having loop heights of less than 0.1 inches,0.075 inches, 0.05 inches, 0.04 inches, 0.03 inches, 0.025 or 0.02inches. The attachment device 24 could also be strong, imbedded magnetsthat are attracted to the metal of the vehicle's roof or could be safetypins placed along the periphery of the background member 22.

One or more decorative attachments 26 are preferably attached to thebackground member 22 by adhesive or other means. The visual arrangementof background member 22 and the decorative attachments 26 providesvisual stimulation for the infant or child on seat 14, and they willtypically form a theme or motif. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, thebackground material 22 may be a black material that represents a nightsky and the decorative attachments 26 can be stars and a moon. Numerouspossible themes exist and additional examples are given further below.Bright colors and expressive characters may be used for the backgroundmaterial 22 and/or decorative attachments 26.

In another embodiment, the decorative attachments 26 may be omitted andthe entire visual stimulation provided by the background member 22,which may have a picture or figure on it. The picture can be added bytransfer or ink or other means. On both the background member 22 and thedecorative attachments 26, glow-in-the-dark paints or materials may beused to provide stimulation during night trips. In another alternativeembodiment, the decorative attachments 26 can be used without abackground member 22 by directly attaching an attachment device to thedecorative attachment. With this alternative, a group of decorativeattachments 26 may be placed directly on a headliner 44 to form a themeindependent of any background member 22.

Continuing with the description of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-2, one ormore tether lines 28, each having a first end 30 and second end 32, canbe structurally coupled to the background member 22 (or the decorativeattachment). “Structurally coupled” means that in one way or another thesupport forces are communicated to the member. The structural couplingmay be accomplished with knots, adhesives, or other suitable means forsecuring. The tether lines 28 can be made of cloth, cord, a springmaterial (e.g., rubber) or other soft material. The first end 30 isstructurally coupled to the background member 22. A dangling member 34is attached to the second end 32 of tether line 28.

The dangling members 34 can be made of the same type of materials asused for the background member 22, e.g., foam, cloth, etc. or can beother items such as light-weight stuffed dolls. Dangling members 34 canbe sized, shaped, and colored to help visually stimulate the infant inseat 12. Examples of the many types of dangling members 34 includestars, balls, mirrors, bells, stuffed toys, teething rings, rattles, apocket or sleeve for photographs, small lights, or possibly a musicdevice. In the alternative design mentioned above, a decorativeattachment such as a baseball glove may have a tether line hanging fromit that has a baseball attached to it as the dangling member. These areonly illustrative examples; there are many other possibilities.

The length of tether lines 28 can be short (1 to 2 inches; 2.54 to 5.08centimeters) merely to provide movement of dangling members 34 inresponse to motion of the car or can be lengthier so that they swingjust out of reach of the infant located in seat 12. In otherembodiments, the tether line 28 could be made long enough for thedangling member 34 to be reached by a child. The preferred length foruse in most cars is about 1.5 to 3 inches (3.8 to 7.6 centimeters). Thetether lines 28 may be of different lengths or may be the same length.With reference to the night sky theme, the dangling members could bestars, and in this scenario might be glow-in-the-dark stars to providestimulation during night trips. The movement of the dangling members 34contributes significantly to the amusement value of stimulationattachment 10. By hanging from a tether line 28, the dangling members 34are free to move in three-dimensions in response to movement of the car.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a portion of the visual stimulation attachment10 is shown secured to ceiling 18 of the vehicle. In this view, theceiling 18 is shown as being made up of the exterior roof 40, which hasa first side 42, and a headliner 44, which has a first side 46 and asecond side 48. The second side 48 is attached to the first side 42 ofroof 40 by an adhesive 50. The attachment device 24 has a first side 52and a second side 54. The background member 22 has a first side 56 and asecond side 58. The second side 58 of the background member 22 issecured by an adhesive 60 (e.g., could be a high tack, pressuresensitive strip or an epoxy or adhesive means) to the first side 52 ofthe attachment device 24. In this embodiment, attachment device 24 isattached directly to headliner liner 44 by miniature-, low-profile ormicro-hooks (not explicitly shown) that engage the material of headliner44 (the headliner functions as the loop portion of the hook-and-loopconnection) to provide a releasable connection.

The decorative attachment 26 has a first side 62 and a second side 64.The second side 64 is attached to the first side 56 of the backgroundmaterial 22 by an adhesive 66. The first end 30 of the tether line 28 isattached to the first side 56 of the background member 22 by anadhesive, a micro-hook material or by going through an aperture 70 inthe background material 22 and being secured on the second side 58 witha knot 71 (this is what is shown in FIG. 2), adhesive, or by other means(e.g., thermal, ultrasonic weld, staples, clips, etc.).

Referring to FIG. 3, a plan view of one possible scene on attachment 10(shown as an infant in car seat 12 might view it) is shown with theexception that the dangling members and tether lines have been removed.The background member 22 is preferably sized to occupy the space on theceiling 18 (see FIG. 1) above the infant or child. For example,background member 22 could be 8 inches by 10 inches (20.3 centimeters by25.4 centimeters) or could be 16″×12″ (40.6×30.4 centimeters) to nameonly two possibilities. An unlimited number of themes for attachment 10are possible. Examples of themes include the following: alphabets,numbers, barnyard, cartoon character scenes, an underwater scene, Noah'sark, flowers, sports, animals, nature, tea cups, doll houses, gardens,ballerinas, angles, circuses, outer space, and seasonal and holidaydesigns (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc). etc. The backgroundmember 22 might also be a simple map of the United States, world, orother entertaining educational objects.

Referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of another embodiment of avisual stimulation attachment 80 is presented. The background member 82is shown with a sea-life theme and includes decorative attachments offish 84 and 86 and an octopus 88. A first tether line 90 supports adangling member 92 in the form of a fish, and a second tether line 94supports a three-dimensional stuffed doll 96 in the form of a scubadiver. The dangling members 92 and 96 can be substantiallytwo-dimensional items (e.g., fish 92) or three-dimensional items (e.g.doll 96).

Numerous other embodiments of the visual stimulation attachment arepossible. In another embodiment of the invention, the backgroundmaterial can be a photograph or photographs or alternatively thedecorative attachments or dangling members could be photographs orphotograph frames. In another embodiment, the background member can be alightweight flat visual screen that provides moving images (video orcomputer output) for the infant to view. A soft material to make it safein the event of an accident preferably would surround the screen.Similarly dangling members might include lights or small flat screens(in that case tether might include wires). The attachment device mightalso include speakers providing entertaining sound or contain lightsamong other variations; a short sound recording might be especiallyuseful to distract infants while the infant is being loaded into the carseat. Sound playback device could be added to virtually any embodiment.In different embodiments, the attachment might be used for otherapplications such as holding a memo pad or photo frame or other items onthe ceiling for an adult in the vehicle, but it is primarily intendedfor use with a child infant seat or child. In the latter situation for apicture frame, it would be the same type of set up using a micro-hookmaterial on the back (i.e. attachment device) of a piece of material towhich a photo or other item is attached.

In one possible embodiment, the decorative attachments are attached tothe background member with a hook-and-loop connection to allow for easymoving of the decorative items on the background. In this way, the scenecan be readily changed to provide more variety for the infant or child.In addition, this approach might allow different decorative attachmentsto be added to the theme at later times; for example, the attachmentscould be given out with entertainment meals as a promotional campaignfor a fast-food establishment. In a related embodiment, the decorativeattachments might be game pieces that can moved on the background ordirectly on the headliner; for example, the background could include atic-tac-toe grid and the decorative attachments could be Xs and Os.

Referring to FIG. 5, a picture frame 100 is shown that is attached to asun visor 102 of an automobile or other vehicle. As used herein, theterm “vehicle” may include any type of device used for transportingpeople, such as an aircraft, automobile, a locomotive, boat, etc. Theframe 100 may be used as a visual stimulation attachment for infants orchildren, as has already been discussed, or in non-child-relatedapplications, such as for decoration or display functions.

Referring to FIG. 6, a partially sectioned side view is shown of theframe 100. The frame 100 may include an attachment device 104, similarto the attachment device 24 previously discussed. The components of theframe 100, as discussed herein, may be constructed from similarmaterials as discussed for the attachment 10. In non-child-relatedapplications, other materials that may not be soft or lightweight forsafety purposes, may be used in addition to the materials discussed forattachment 10. These may include materials such as metal, hard plasticand wood, glass, etc.

The attachment device 104 may include a micro-hook material, aspreviously described. The attachment device 104 may be attached by alayer of adhesive (not shown) or otherwise secured to one side of abackground member 106. For ease of illustration, the layers of adhesiveare not shown in FIG. 6. The attachment device 104 may be coextensivewith the background member, or may be in strips, sections, etc. that maybe continuous or non-continuous and non-coextensive. As shown, themicro-hook material of the attachment device 24 engages and releasablycouples to the surface of a fabric layer 107, which may be a low-pilefabric material, of the visor 102 or other structure.

The background member 106 may be similar to the background member 22,and may have a flat, planar configuration. Secured to the other side ofthe background member 106 opposite the attachment member 104 is aframing member 108. The framing member 108 extends generally around theperimeter of the background member 106 and is secured to the member 106by adhesive or other means. The framing member 108 may have partitionmembers 109.

A visually transparent panel or member 110 may be provided over theframing member 108 to define a compartment 112. The panel 110 may beattached to the framing member 108 by adhesive or other means. The panel110 may be rigid or flexible, and may be formed from glass, plastic, orother material. The panel 110 may be tinted or non-tinted and may beprovided with printing or indicia (not shown).

Positioned over the panel member 110 is a second framing member 114. Theframing member 114 also extends generally around the perimeter of thebackground member 106. The second framing member 114 may have one ormore partition members 116. The partition members 109, 116 of theframing members 108, 114, respectively, define openings 118, 120 forreceiving and displaying objects, such as photos, pictures, mirrors,calendars, diplomas or certificates of achievement, maps, printedtextual or non-textual matter, etc., that may be displayed with theframe 100. The frame 100 may be used to display promotional oradvertising material.

Decorative objects or attachments, such as the objects 122, 124, may beprovided on the frame 100, such as on the framing member 114, as shown.These may be attached by adhesive or other means. Additionally, danglingobjects (not shown) may be tethered to the frame 100.

Printing of various types may be provided on the exposed surfaces of thecomponents of the frame 100.

Displayed objects may be received in the compartment area 112 throughopenings that may be provided, such as at 126, 128, at the ends of theframe 100. The openings 126, 128 may be formed by providing non-bondedor non-secured areas between the background member 106 and framingmember 108 or between the framing member 108 and panel 110.

The background member 106 and framing members 108, 114 may be ofslightly different sizes to provide a stepped appearance, as shown inFIG. 6. Thus, the outer edges of the adjacent underlying member areexposed. The members forming the frame may be of different colors,materials or otherwise have a contrasting appearance.

Although the frame 100 is shown in a generally rectangular shape, it mayhave a variety of other different shapes or configurations, which mayapproximate or represent other articles or objects.

In use, the frame 100 may be positioned on any structure havingfabric-covered portions for engaging with the micro-hook material of theattachment member 104. This may include the visor 102 or headliner of anautomobile or other vehicle or a fabric covered wall of a dwelling, etc.The micro-hook material of the frame 100 allows it to be readily securedand removed from the fabric material, as desired.

Referring to FIG. 7, another embodiment of a sunshade 130 is shown. Thesunshade 130 includes a body portion 132, which may be a flexiblesheet-like material, such as a layer of fabric material, although alightweight rigid material may be used, as well. The material may beprovided with a reflective coating or surface to reflect sunlight.Additionally, it may be a tinted transparent material or be providedwith a see-through mesh pattern to allow visual perception therethrough,will still providing a degree of shading. The surface may also beprovided with visible ornamentation, text or other indicia.

The sunshade 130 includes an attachment portion 134, which may be in theform of a section or strip 136 of the body portion 132, such as along aside edge. A micro-hook material 138 is provided on the section 136,such as by adhesive, stitching or other fastening means.

The sunshade 130 may be secured over a window 140 or other area to blocksun or other light. In the embodiment shown, the window 140 is a sidewindow of an automobile. The attachment portion 134 is secured to aheadliner 142 of the automobile above and adjacent to or in nearproximity to the window 140. The micro-hook material 138 engages thefabric material of the headliner 142 so that it releasably couplesthereto, with the body 132 hanging downward to cover the window 140.

The sun-shade may be configured in size and shape to correspond to theshape of the window for which it is to be used. Because the sunshade 130secures to the headliner, which usually extends beyond the dimensions ofthe window, instead of the window itself, the shade 130 may cover theentire window and not just a portion, as in prior art sunshades thatutilize suction cups and the like for attachment directly to the window.

The sunshade may be provided with a retraction mechanism (not shown)that may allow the body 132 to be extended and retracted from a rolledconfiguration. In such instances, the attachment portion may be formedfrom the retraction mechanism provided with the micro-hook material.

The attachment devices of the present invention may be used forattachment to a variety of different fabric covered objects, includingfabric covered walls or structures of a building or dwelling. Inparticular, the devices may be used on the interior walls of a buildingor dwelling. Referring to FIG. 8, an office cubicle or carrel 150 isshown. The cubicle or carrel 150 is provided with partition walls 152,154. All or a portion of the walls 152, 154 may be covered with a fabricmaterial, which may be a low-pile fabric material. The fabric materialmay be the panel cloth materials commonly used with interior partitionsand the like, such as the panel cloth marketed and available from BurchFabrics Group.

A frame 156 is shown attached to the wall 152. The frame 156 may besimilar in construction to the frame 100, previously described. Otherattachment devices may be attached to the fabric covered walls, as well.A pocket, holder, box or other container represented at 158 having abody 159 is shown attached to the wall 154. The device 158 may includeone or more sleeves, formed from a flexible material such as paper,fabric, leather or flexible polymeric material, etc. The device 158 mayalso included a container or box formed from a generally structurallyrigid material, such as cardboard, wood, composite material, rigidplastic or lightweight metal, such as aluminum, etc. The device 158forms an enclosure or rest for holding articles and may have at leastone opening, such as the opening 160, for passage of the articlestherethrough. A closure or lid (not shown) may also be provided to coveror enclose the articles held by the device 158. The body 159 of thedevice 158 may have a variety of configurations, including those formedfrom planar and curved or non-planar shapes and should not be limited toany particular shape or configuration.

The device 158 also includes an attachment device 162 formed from amicro-hook material that is secured to the body 159 of the device 158.The micro-hook material is similar to that previously described and issecured to at least a portion of one side of the body 159 by adhesive orother means.

The holding or container device 158 may be used for holding ordisplaying a multitude of different articles, such as pens, pencils,rulers, notepads, erasers, compact disks, identification, etc.

The device 158 may be used on fabric covered interior walls ofdwellings, such as those of the cubicle or partition walls, which may bemovable or stationary. The holding or container device 158 may also beused in the interior spaces of vehicles, such the headliner or visor ofan automobile, the bulkhead or walls of an aircraft, etc.

Because the attachment devices of the invention releasably couple tofabric covered portions of structures, as has been described herein,they may readily attached and removed, moved and repositioned. This maybe beneficial in many circumstances. For instance, in work stations thatare shared by employees of different shifts or temporary study carrelsfor students, users may want to position personal effects in the areafor display during their shift or activity, but remove them after theyare through. The devices allow personal photos, pictures and otherbelongings to be displayed or held, such as on the walls 152, 154 of thecubicle 150 and then readily removed as desired.

Although the present invention and its advantages have been described indetail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of invention as defined by the appended claims. The term “about”as used in the claims is intended to imply a relatively broadinterpretation of any range that it modifies; it is intended to be aflexible word with a meaning similar to “approximately” or “nearly.

1. An attachment combination comprising: an article for attachmenthaving a body; a fabric-covered portion of at least one of a vehicleinterior and a wall of a dwelling; and a micro-hook material configuredfor securing to low-pile fabric materials, the micro-hook materialsecured to the body for releasably coupling the article to the fabric ofthe fabric-covered portion.
 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein: thearticle is selected from a group consisting of a display, a frame, asunshade, a pocket, a holder, a box or a container.
 3. The combinationof claim 1, wherein: the article is a frame that includes a transparentpanel for overlaying an object of the frame.
 4. The combination of claim1, wherein: the article is a frame having decorative objects providedthereon.
 5. The combination of claim 1, wherein: the article is a frameformed from a resilient foam material.
 6. A display device comprising: aframe having a frame body having a first and second side, the frame bodyhaving a opening for displaying an object of the frame; and a micro-hookmaterial secured one of the first and second sides of the frame body forreleasably coupling the frame to fabric-covered surfaces.
 7. The deviceof claim 6, wherein: the frame includes a transparent panel foroverlaying an object of the frame.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein:the frame has decorative objects provided on the other of the first andsecond sides.
 9. The device of claim 6, wherein: the frame is formedfrom a resilient foam material.
 10. The device of claim 6, wherein:there are at least two openings for displaying at least two objects ofthe frame.
 11. The device of claim 6, wherein: the object is selectedfrom a group consisting of a photo, a picture, a mirror, a diploma orcertificate of achievement, a map, a calendar and a printed text.
 12. Amethod of displaying an article, the method comprising: providing amicro-hook material on a portion of the article; and applying thearticle to the surface of a fabric-covered portion of at least one of awall of a dwelling and an interior of a vehicle so that the micro-hookmaterial releasably engages the fabric material to form a releasablehook-and-loop connection with the fabric of the fabric-covered portion.13. The method of claim 12, wherein: the object is selected from a groupconsisting of a photo, a picture, a mirror, a diploma or certificate ofachievement, a map, a calendar and a printed text.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, wherein: the fabric-covered portions are selected from a groupconsisting of a wall of a cubical or carrel, a room partition, aheadliner and a sun-visor of a vehicle.
 15. The method of claim 12,wherein: the article is a frame that includes a transparent panel foroverlaying an object of the frame.
 16. The method of claim 12, wherein:the article is a frame having decorative objects provided thereon. 17.The method of claim 12, wherein: the article is a frame formed from aresilient foam material.
 18. The method of claim 12, wherein: thefabric-covered portion is formed from a low-pile fabric material.